Jabal Fayfa

                        As far as the vegetation is concerned, the Fayfa Mountain ('Jabal Fayfa', 17⁰ 14` N – 43<sup>0</sup> 05` E) in the Jizan Governorate is one of the important places in the southwestern Saudi Arabia. Characterised by a mosaic environment, these hill tracts hold a relatively rich and diverse flora. These undulating mountains range in elevation from 900 m (Al-Ghardha) to about 2000 m (Al-Abseeya) and extend over several kilometers along a roughly north-south axis. On the southern side, these mountains join the mountains of Yemen and on the north with the mountains of Bani Malik. To the west of these mountains lie the Tihama coastal plains, an arid land with sparse vegetation. Compared to the eastern side, the west facing slopes of the mountains are steep and are characterized by dense vegetation.  The eastern slopes are the rain shadow regions and are less species rich.

         Fayfa Mountains is not a single steep escarpment but a series of mountain ranges cut by deep valleys. The hillocks on the outer side of the mountain range are less than 700 m high. The vegetation on these hillocks is somewhat sparse and in a highly degraded state due to heavy grazing and flash-floods. Further east, the region has another set of mountains with altitudes ranging from 800-1200m. Top soil in this part is also highly altered as it eroded away in heavy rains. Vegetation in these mountains is not strikingly rich. Yet, scattered and occasionally dense vegetation can be seen on open and eroded slopes of the escarpment. The interior part of the escarpments is somewhat steep with an average height of about 2000m.

            The mountains of Fayfa harbor a rich flora that is more or less similar to that of Yemen and nearby countries in Africa such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, etc. The west facing slopes, which benefit from constant moisture-laden breezes from the Red Sea hold several micro hotspots and sustain a number of endemics and several endangered species; these include a few remaining stands of the vulnerable species such as Dracaena ombet, Dorstenia foetida, Ceropegia spp., etc.

Jabal Fayfa is differentiated into a spectrum of climatic zones, each with a distinct vegetation cover. The vegetation of the foothills is rather sparse and highly degraded due to heavy grazing and flash floods. Further east, the area is thrown into a set of mountains with altitudes ranging from 800 to 1200 m. Although the flora in these areas is not strikingly rich, occasional dense vegetation is not uncommon on open and eroded slopes of the escarpments. The interior of the escarpment is somewhat steep. Dominant members of the vegetation between 1500-2000 m include: Juniperus procera, Ficus sycomorus, Acacia mellifera, A. seyal, Euclea schimperi and Carissa edulis.  

            The entire Fayfa Mountains can be divided into three regions, i.e. low lying mountains (up to 1000m), high altitude wadis and escarpments. The vegetation of the low lying areas is dominated by Acacia etbaica along with occasional trees of A. mellifera and A. asak. Commiphora spp. and Acacia ehrenbergiana are the main components of the hills below 500-900m. Other trees such as A. abyssinica, Combretum molle, Tichellia emetica, Tamarindus indica, Ziziphus spina-christi, Dobera glabra, Mimusops laurifolia and Delonix elata are also dominant but in small restricted localities of the west facing slopes.            

            In the Acacia-Commiphora bushland, which is dominating in the low altitude, several species of shrubs are also found in great abundance. Adenium arabicum, Anisotes trisulcus, Grewia tembensis, Maerua oblongifolia, Acalypha fruticosa are some of them. Majority of abandoned agricultural terraces possess secondary vegetation. Important plants of this group include: Solanum schimperianum, Clutia lanceolata, Solanum incanum, Ricinus communis, Commiphora spp.,  Carissa edulis, Otostegia fruticosa, Rumex nervosus, etc. Herbaceous flora includes Evolvulus alsinoides, Anagallis arvensis, Chenopodium spp., Conyza stricta, Pennisetum setaceum, Themeda triandra. Agricultural terrace walls also possess a distinctive flora of their own. The most common plants of this category are Campanula edulis, Micromeria imbricate, Reichardia tingitana, Asplenium aethiopicum, Conzya pyrrhopappa, Nepeta deflersiana, etc.

             Vegetation of high altitude (c. 2000m) areas is in a highly degraded state due to urbanization. However, patches of vegetation dominated by trees such as Juniperus procera, Olea europaea, Ficus sycomorus, Dracaena ombet, etc can be found in certain localities. In addition to the tree components, shrubs and woody herbs are also widely distributed along the escarpments. These include: Otostegia fruticosa, Psiadia punctulata,  Teucrium yemense, Tagetus minuta, Dodonaea angustifolia, Pluchea dioscoridis, Pulicaria schimperi, Plectranthus asirensis, etc and grasses such as Themeda triandra, Hyparrhenia hirta, Tetrapogon villosus,  Sporobolus nervosus and Rhynchelytrum repens.  Dense vegetation is virtually absent in the entire east facing slopes. However, succulent shrubs such as Aloe spp. Euphorbia spp., etc. can be found in most of the areas along with Acacia asak and occasionally Moringa peregrina trees  

A total of 537 species of vascular plants has been recorded from the area, which represents about 24% of the total collections so far recorded from the entire floristic region of Saudi Arabia. Unlike the flora of other regions of Saudi Arabia where the majority is represented by annuals, two-thirds of the flora of the Jabal Fayfa is represented by perennials. Fabaceae is the largest family with 51 species followed by Poaceae and Asteraceae with 47 and 46 species, respectively. (Courtesy- A prelude to the study of the flora of Jabal Fayfa in Saudi Arabia by Dr. T.A. Al-Turki)

Last updated on 24-5-2007   for comments may be sent to jathomas@ksu.edu.sa